IDM - #001: Think Tank - VOTING

Project #001 VOTING

Topic:"
Our first topic will be to design a "Think Tank", a common term for modern research organizations.
But that's neither here or there. Our Think Tank is going to be a weapon of the future, and here our your Guide lines:

This tank uses monkey brain power. I don't have a good explanation why except to say that I think in the future there will be a lot of things discovered which we never could have predicted, so as it may seem illogical now, it may be perfectly reasonable someday for reasons I couldn't begin to comprehend. Also, I think a monkey brain makes for a more interesting concept. I figured that a brain would be better off if it remained inside the skull because it's probably always going to be easier to just implant things into it than to remove it from the nervous system. I had reservations about having the primate exposed in a transparent cylinder instead of inside the tank, be again I thought it was more interesting and I figured that in the future they'll have developed a transparent material which is as strong as any tank armor today.

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User: JingleBoo

In 3005, Honda Motor designs a tank for military. We can get armor by picking a couple available packages like buying a car. Easy to buy, easy to pick and low down payment.
Watch out Terrorists.

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User: vaughany_boy

Concept: Prototype - Kinetic Energy Supression Tank
By 2413, the Hassaan Mining guild found itself losing ground on all fronts to Rival cooperation, the Canai Family Group. In the ruthless world of space commerce, the private armed forces of the two factions met time and time again, eventually resulting in the defeat of the Mining guild, forcing them back to just a few inhabited planets. With defeat iminent and seemingly unavoidable, the Hassaan Guild did the unthinkable and began experimenting in the use of Telekinetic abilities for arms. Long since abandoned by other factions, due to its unstable nature, this technology was to be the Mining Guild's last chance to save itself and regain its former glory. The Tank that was developed looked to be very promising; the first Telekinetic technology able to maintain stable containment. The Tank took advantage of particularly gifted psychic citizens, secretly taken out of their everyday lives and strapped against their will to power an untested super weapon. The psychic power of these people was mechanically extracted and storred in two great vessels on the back of the tank, compressed into a beautiful purple-blue plasma. In this very dense, compressed state, the energy was surprisingly stable but when released and unpressurised, it became an invisible, unstopable force of movement. Harnessed, this power could form a projectile of any size or strength, hitting with precision to any depth of a target. Unfortunately, the Mining guild was destroyed, and the only working model of the tank lost in the Canai Group's attacks. Now legendary, all that remains of the tank are scraps of blueprints and damaged test videos. Whether the technology will be further investigated is as yet unknown, but it seems unlikely such a force would be ignored by those hungry for power.

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User: Kadza Neon
In the year 2028, due to the changing nature of war, the U.S. and Japanese Governments have united, creating one of the most powerful and efficient militaries in the world.
Scientists and engineers have combined their abilities in the research and development of new metals and alloys. The scientists were able to create a metal/ alloy that is based off the DNA of humans.
This metal/alloy is cell based and can repair itself on the battlefield. Although the metal/alloy is not perfected yet, and leaves scars on the skin of the vehicle. It is most affective in its protection.
It has been said by solders that that vehicles with the material sometimes react on their own, whether it be to protect or attack. Solders who operate these vehicles have the brains surgically enhanced in order to receive the naturally created connections within the vehicle.. In other words...they operate the vehicle with their minds.
Now this is where things get interesting!
The large canisters on the back of the tank are used to collect dead solders and fuse them with the skin of the tank. The dead solders act like the brain power giving the vehicle energy to function,
while the living solders are the "hands and reflexes" of the vehicle.
The tanks primary weapon is the large gun in the top center of the tank.
The ammo is electric energy created by the collective brain power of its passengers.
With the united powers of the U.S. and Japanese militaries, a safer world is in the making.

In the late twentieth century, under heavy attack by the unknown invaders, an international conglomerate of defence contractors pooled their resources and developed a series of prototype “think tanks”. One of the successful models was the “Terrapin”, an experimental weapon system utilising the chassis of a mainstay battle tank and cutting edge biological research.

The “brains” of the think tank comprise of six primary artificial brains (located within the main body) augmented by two secondary ones. The primary brains handle basic targeting, each linked to a set of weapons (six in all, not shown). With six brains combined, the experimental “psy-cannon” can unleash a highly focussed beam of mental energy, believe to be effective against the alien invaders.

One of the secondary brains handle mobility, capable of manoeuvring each leg separately while maintaining stability for the weapons platform. The tank is mobile with up to two tracks functional, and in emergency situations or extreme terrain, can “walk” in a quadruped method.

The image shows the “Terrapin” being serviced, with most of its optional reactive armour removed, along with its secondary armaments (the close-in weapon systems and the sextuplet missile launchers). The tracks are in a raised position for maintenance on the underside.
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User: davi
2007 Corvette Think Tank™ by Chevrolet.

With the overcrowding in large american cities, the government has decided to cut off the growth age of an adult american to 60. At the age of 60, their brains will be used for overseas warfare.

The adult brains are put into ammo-tubes used by the think tank. The tank will use it's speakers(by altec lansing™) to produce subversive speech patterns over the enemies units by using the brains own memories; causing them to unknownly work the will of the us army.

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User: Sammy
The future of war is fought in the office 9 – 5 every day of the week --- ammunition of choice: the handshake

The Apple thinkTANK is the fully-realized evolution of past PDA devices. Capable of any function necessary to help succeed in a harsh business climate --- including the *perfect* handshake…

Apple’s unique nano-scanline earbud design is capable of mapping out your mental motor-skills and optimizing the best handshake you’ve ever given --- the most intemidating handshake you've ever given...

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User: Hideyoshi
The “CETA” (cetacean = relating to dolphins and whales) gound/air tank unit
makes use of Bottlenose dolphins’ brains having the highest encephalization quotient among non human brains along with an overly high convolution rate enabling it to unleash incredible brain power transformed into plasmatic beams. Making it a bio-mechanical organism this tank is eventually able to operate uncrewed leaving yet the possibility to be controlled by two operators if needed.
The attached air unit can turn into an independent combat fighter propelled by 3 thrusters and equipped with a second weapon – a minigun mounted to the front.
Additional features include sonar communication among several CETA tanks and thus developing hunting tactics similar to those wild dolphins demonstrate.
Needless to say that the CETA Tank is also equipped with an impeccable echolocation system for advanced navigational capability.
Another positive sideeffect results from the fact, that dolphin's brains are active permanently with only one brain half resting at a time.

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User: leckronium
In the not-so-distant-future, mankind will be stripped of their freedom and forced to serve robots. Useful persons will keep their positions in a restricted society but those who do not contribute to the advance of technology will forfeit their lives and become what they once used or created. This new generation of technology was created by computers programmed to think on their own. The brains of humans are taken and placed in specifically designed mobile carriers called "Think Tanks" such as the TT 001 prototype shown here. This particular model runs on the brain power of unemployed artists and is equipped with an infra red sensor in the front, and a set of image sensors topped by a pencil cannon that shoots useless used and unused pencils once used by the human race.

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User: Blindman

This prototype self-governing traction engine features the latest Stalwart automatic canon and the amazing mutated brain power plant from Rekkenwyth Laboratories. This model was designed specifically for the Earl Of Denmark.

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User: winwinja
The engine to fire is in the back and send the power to the front gun.

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User: jmascho

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User: Otzi
The brain shoots acid bits of hitself until it's empty and..well that's it and I guess someone would have to run behind the tank with kegs of fresh brain

I was unsure whether I liked Jeremy's or Sammy's better. Most of the others were outstanding but I felt didn't portray the close tie of the brain powering the tank clearly enough. The tank with a brain in a glass dome was too cliched for me despite the fact that I loved Blindman's pic.
Machzero's would have won my vote but I wanted to see the rest of the tank. If you had included the armour and weapons it would have been gold.
Finally, I felt that while Sammy's concept was cleaner and clearer, Jeremy's was thought out (if not decided upon) and a tank.

yeah... there's a lot of what if's on this design to make it look better.

However, happy with the overall design, most it was trying to be practical (the unfinished sketches were posted in the original IDM thread), drawing from memory stuff I've seen on real tanks and car engines.

Last time I tried something this elaborate was prolly ten years ago, doodling in some boring class. Only this time it was 100% photoshop, with no bloody ellipse guides.

never going to do anything this painful again without a 3D app. Don't have time anymore for dabbling in drawing with a full time job.

Jeremy: cool design, *love* the monkey in there! the protection of the monkey-in-tube seems very low, compared to the rest of the tank though...

Blindman: totally dig the steampunk vibe to this, design looks solid and believable (at least, to me ) just the coloring bothers me a bit, in the sense that the red pieces only show red hues and no sign of radiocity and/or reflection. this makes the total picture a bit flat. too bad, because if it weren't for this, i think you'd be my nr1.

Machzero: you're getting my vote on this. along with a sweet design, which shows a lot of creativity, it just looks spiffy... maybe you didn't spend so much time rendering/fleshing it out as some of the others, but the shapes communicate very well and methinks that's the most important aspect of this "contest". also, and this was a big issue in my choosing, i just think your picture would be best fitting for the IDM logo. So yay to you!

as for the others: some sweet stuff in there, but not really fitting to be the IDM logo, or too much atmosphere and not enough focus on the design aspect... (as always, there's exceptions that confirm the rule )

concluding: great work everybody.. looking fw to seeing the next batch!

WOW! Jeremy, and I are really tumbling in the arena for this one!
It seems back and forth every day --- it's always tough to go up against someone that has a monkey in their image ... we all like our monkeys!
I hope all the future IDM's are this good.

Blindman: I really like how yours came out, very illustrative touch - and a fun approach to the whole idea.

Originally Posted by Uziel

Sammy: This is how a entry should be. I only would have placed a counter weight or turned the arm the other way.

Thanx Uziel, I try to push the litteral sense of the 'rules' as far as I can --- It had to travel on tracks, be "attached" to a brain, and use the power of the brain for "amunition"
There's really a lot of room for creativity and exploration in those rules when you stretch them ---
and I thought people might enjoy semething that seems like actual Industrial (or product) design, rather than me doing a videogame concept.

Monkey tank

Well I guess that photobucket isn't working right now so my image is just a "?". Hopefully it will come back or something, I don't know how it works but I'm really disappointed. If you guys have any helpful ideas I'd love to hear them.

Thanks to all of you who voted for me. I promise as your newly elected class president...err...wait...oh yeah, the monkey thing....OBEY MY MONKEY!!!! BWAH-HA-HA-HA!!! You guys are great, this has been a big self confidence booster for me. There were so many AMAZING entries! It's been fun and all, but I don't think I'm going to do this again for a while, it was so close between Sammy and I the whole time that I found the experience really nerve-racking. Maybe I'll try my hand at the C.O.W. next, but that's some serious competition. Good luck with all of your future endeavors everyone!

You have to do it again, so we can duke it out once more ---- It was rather nerve-racking, good way to put it. 8)

It's interesting to see where the voters were cut in half - Many people wanted your more traditional approach, and a very literal tank --- And almost as many people wanted my more liberal approach, and a very non-traditional tank.... Almoast as if it were broken down to Conservatives vs Liberals haha
I would've liked to see Blindman get more votes, for his very well executed satire and rendering.

Sammy: I also felt a certain split in the competition. I wouldn't say that my design was necessarily more conservative,though. The tank is definitely in a traditional look, I really like the early tank designs in WW1+2, and the utilitarian aesthetic, but I went the other way, instead of questioning the boundaries of a tank, I questioned the brain aspect. My rationale was that it needed ammunition, so the design would need to be more of a fighting tank. I guess I could turn it around and say you went for the literal idea of a mind, and therefore your design was more conservative I also would have liked it if blindman got more votes, I thought his was a strong design and well rendered, I especially like how he went with the early industrial era look as opposed to futuristic or sci-fi. Honestly, there was so much talent in there that I'm amazed I won! I thought Machzero was gonna take it all the way. I'm not going to do this next competition, but I'm sure you'll be seeing some more from me in the future, you'll get your chance for revenge See you around!

I think Jeremey's design was much more traditonal than Sammy's. He went with what was probably the most basic concept (aside from shooting actual brains as the ammo) and created a normal (but awsome looking) tank. It used brains as the control, but shot bullets as a normal tank would. Jeremey did a great job with making the monkey look "lifeless" but not dead in that tube.

Sammy's design was much more of an exploration of what using a "brain" as ammo could possibly mean. He not only thought to use a brain as the control center, but using the enemeys brain against themselves. I like the fact that he didn't put any guns on his tank, which set his design apart from most of the others. I also thought the concept was original and appropriate because the wars today truly are fought in the workplace as well as the battlefronts, and in the future, I would expect it to be even more so.

Both designs were great. This deserved to be a close competition. Great job everyone.